


The Butterfly Effect! (BoyxBoy)

by King_Rainbow_Boy



Category: Original Work
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Asexual, Betrayal, Bisexual, Bullying, Demisexuality, Depression, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fictional, Fluff and Angst, Gay, Gay Pride, Gay Sex, High School, Hispanic Character, Homophobic Language, Homosexuality, Internalized Homophobia, LGBTQ Themes, Lesbian, Love, M/M, Male Bonding, Male Homosexuality, Male Slash, Mild Smut, Oral Sex, Pansexual, Past Child Abuse, Past Sexual Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Racism, Romance, Self-Harm, Self-Hatred, Teen Angst, Teen Romance, Therapy, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Transgender, Trust Issues, Xenophobia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:54:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27033019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/King_Rainbow_Boy/pseuds/King_Rainbow_Boy
Summary: Lance Kelly is a very depressed teenager with trust issues, extremely low self-esteem, and suicidal thoughts ever since he came out to his formal crush, who exposed his secret. He was tired of living in a cruel world where nobody in town accepted him for who he is. But one day during therapy session, he was able to meet a boy named Pablo Santiago, who was suffering the same pain.TW: Contains racism, violence, homophobia aspects.
Relationships: Lance Kelly/Pablo Santiago
Comments: 4
Kudos: 3





	1. Prologue: Broken beyond repair

_**SUMMARY :** _

_Lance Kelly is a very depressed teenager with trust issues, extremely low self-esteem, and suicidal thoughts ever since he came out to his formal crush, who exposed his secret. He was tired of living in a cruel world where nobody in town accepted him for who he is. But one day during therapy session, he was able to meet a boy named Pablo Santiago, who was suffering the same pain._

_**DISCLAIMER :** This book features BxB relationship, homosexual romance, and LGBTQ+ themes. I own the rights of all characters!_

** _TRIGGER WARNINGS_ _:_ ** _This book may contain profanity language, violence, PTSD attacks, acts of racism, internalized homophobia, sexual intercourse, and suicidal attempts. Read at your own risk!_

**Prologue:** Broken beyond Repair.

...

**_One week ago; September 14th, 2018_ **

_"How much do you want to know?" The boy asked his therapist, Mrs. Kennedy, who is sitting on her chair right beside him. She clicked her pen and prepares herself to write down whatever he had to say. The room was quiet and the only sound audible was the clock ticking and the boy's heavy breathing as he was facing up at the blank, white ceiling._

_"You don't have to tell me everything, Lance. Just tell me about what happened at school last week. Has there been bullying going on?" Mrs. Kennedy asked him, adjusting her glasses before she looks at Lance with sapphire blue eyes. She has been his therapist for almost a year now._

_"Last Friday when I was using the bathroom after Algebra class was over, Sequoia and a few of his gang members came barging in to torture me to their own entertainment. Two of them were shoving my face down the toilet water. I couldn't tell who they were but I do know that_ _Sequoia was the one who's kicking me in my behind. It reminded me of my Elementary School days all over again. I could've suffocated by inhaling too much toilet water if one of the staff hadn't come in, you have no idea how bad it was." Lance explained, his voice was raising a bit with distress._

 _"Wait a sec, is Sequoia the one you told me you had a crush on?"_ _Mrs. Kennedy_ _inquired him, raising an eyebrow._

_"Sadly yes," Lance nods his head, sighing. "You can't imagine how desperately in love I was with him." His voice started to break as he was trying to hold back fresh tears that were begging him to escape from his eyes._

_Even though it's only him and his therapist in this room he didn't want to cry in front of her... She can tell by reading his facial expression before she starts writing down her notepad._

_"He was supposed to be my friend. He was supposed to help me... and he does THIS to me! Why couldn't he just like me the same way I like him?"_

_"You can't make anyone like you, Lance. That's not how the world works that way." Mrs. Kennedy told him._

_"I don't care anymore!" Lance screamed as he slammed his fist with anger, startling her. "It's not my fault I'm a freaking homo! I didn't choose to be this way! If I could choose, I would've choose to be normal by being straight rather than being_ _discriminated for being different."_

_"Nobody is normal, Lance." Mrs. Kennedy shook her head. "Everyone's different."_

_Lance scoffed, rolling his icy blue eyes. "Well it doesn't seem like it to me..."_

_If people were in Lance's shoes, they would know how hellish it is_ _when it comes to playing a cruel game called life. A game where there are no winners, only survivors, to which Lance feel like he wants give up surviving sooner or later._

_Most days he would question himself why out of all the people in this small town does he have to be so different? Why does he have to be judged and hated by everyone? Why does he have to be..._

_... a homosexual?_

_Lance hated himself for so many reasons._ _Gay being the main one for being the cause of other problems such as being ridiculed and not focusing on his school work._ _Other reasons included being too afraid to be himself, being too weak, not having a strong willpower._ _  
_

_But just because he's gay doesn't mean that he's not an ordinary person with feelings just like everybody, right?_

_Sadly, that's not what his hometown in Alabama thinks._

_Alabama was normally described as a civilized and peaceful state by most people. But not everywhere was as lucky or privileged to be so graceful._ _No matter where one goes in the world, there will be some hardship and conflict around._ _Nobody was spared from antagonism; not the men, the women, the elderly, the disabled, or even the young children._

_... Especially those who were part of the LGBTQ, unfortunately._

_High School was as potentially a vile place as anywhere, and some unfortunate souls experienced that harsh truth. A boy named Lance Kelly, a 17-year-old boy, was one of these unfortunate souls._

_It all started when Lance was a happy and friendly boy back then, but there were many things about him which made him an outcast. He was a mildly autistic individual, meaning he had difficulty understanding and dealing with certain social situations._

_Because of this, he was also quite anti-social, always opting to be by himself than to interact with other children when possible. Because of his social differences and quirks, he was often rendered a victim of bullying. Living in a town area in his childhood days, Lance was unfortunately surrounded by children of the rough and mean variety. Those who would take pleasure in exploiting the fact that Lance was alone, as well as fearful of even interacting with others, let alone fighting back against those who wronged him._

_Because he was different, they picked on him, as kids often do when they come across someone who is different, or weird, to them. Additionally, Lance had a last name which sounded like a girls name, as well as a very high-pitched voice. Not to mention prominent freckles and even slightly pointed ears. All of these qualities of his made him an ever larger target for bullying and abuse from the other kids._

_Lance indeed went through many incidents of bullying as a little child. Everything from name calling and teasing, to physical abuse and attacks at the hands of the less friendly classmates..._

_Lance rarely, if ever, tried to fight back. He didn't like conflict and just wanted to be left alone. This is why he adopted such a passive behavior. Even when he actually tried to fight back or retaliate against a bully, it was usually he, more so than the aggressor, who received punishment from the teachers or present authority figures in the room. Instances like that only served to further cement his passive and timid behavior as a core part of his personality during his younger years._

_Because of this hostile treatment in his early years, Lance figured he was better off not interacting with other kids very much. He kept to himself, playing video games and watching cartoons in his spare time. When interacting with those he didn't know, he decided to act as passively as possible, in order to avoid conflict with anyone. In his earlier years, he found this to be a decent coping strategy, ignoring the hostility of the outside world and finding happiness through an isolated existence; just him and his electronic devices._

_But as he got older and was sent away to private school after he wasn't participating at Middle School, thanks to his autism, he became more depressed._

_He hated how lonely he was, and how little anyone in the world knew or cared about his existence._ _While everyone else would enjoy living life together, embarking on various hi-jinks and providing enjoyment for one another, he wallowed in despair upon the realization that he may never be anything other than a lonely little loser who nobody cared for._

_That was until one day when he returned to public school at freshman year, he met a certain popular boy in school, Sequoia Williams, who would later on become his crush. Sequoia came up to defend Lance from the bullies. He was Lance's closest (and only) best friend and they would hang out together after school. Because that he was hanging out with the one of the most popular kid in school, everything was starting to improve for Lance. The people would start giving him attention and nobody would dare bully him as long as Sequoia would be right beside him. Lance was so grateful for what Sequoia had done for him. He looks up to him as if he's a real hero, and he was glad to finally have a someone who at least cares about him._

_Someone who unfortunately would turn Lance's world upside down, which is unbeknownst to him until junior year came when he found out about his true sexuality. Lance was never really interested in girls like the normal guys from his school were, and he was never even interested in doing any manly activities. He was able to date a girl once thanks to Sequoia's help to gain confidence, but still no interest... and he wondered why. But thanks to one guy who seem handsome and charming in Lance's eyes, the answer to his questions had finally came._

_Sequoia had made him come to the conclusion that he is gay._ _Out of all the words to describe how Lance felt about being gay he only needed one..._

_... Fear._

_Sure there were other words to describe it, but fear overpowered all of his emotions._ _Each day his newfound confidence would get weaker and weaker as the fear of being gay increased each day._ _He used to control his life but now he doesn't feel like himself anymore, and his fears limited him from doing things ultimately controlling his life._ _He even_ _tried doing research to find out if he is gay._

 _He learned just because he had dated a girl once does not make him straight. And since he_ _had already dated a girl, he thought maybe he should try a guy._ _Problem was only one guy interested him, and t_ _hat one guy is the Sequoia Williams, t_ _he most attractive person he have ever seen. In Lance's opinion; he is flawless, perfect to be exact._

 _Lance was so much smaller than the rest of the guys at school... he_ _was definitely a late bloomer for puberty. All those things that made him doubt that Sequoia would want to date a guy like him._ _Asking him or at least talking to him would not be easy._ _He is so popular that it is hard to get some alone time with him._ _Whenever Lance do get alone time with Sequoia after school his body would shut down and he would get nervous like he can't do simple human interactions with him._

 _He had to tell someone that he was gay, he just couldn't hold it back any longer, it had to be someone who would support him. Lance was able to come out to his mother_ _that he is gay, well really just that he like Sequoia, but still it meant that he is gay. He had always talked with his mother about his feelings._ _He was glad that she didn't reject him like most homophobic parents would do with their gay child, and that she promised him that she'll love him no matter what._

 _But unfortunately he couldn't say the same for his former crush Sequoia, who is now his main bully. Coming out to_ _him was the worst mistake of his life. He thought that Sequoia would be okay with Lance being gay for him... but boy was he wrong. Lance felt like he wanted to join his hopes in death when Sequoia harshly rejected him._

_Things had gotten so bad that Lance was back into being a lonely loser who nobody wanted to be around with. And not only that, he also doesn't feel safe anywhere besides school. Sequoia has been spreading Lance's secret all over town, and it wasn't long before Lance had become a target of hate and violence._

_Lance couldn't believe that his own best friend who is supposed to support him would betray him like that. He felt like he would never love anything and anyone ever again. It was when his trust issues and paranoia around people had began._

_Lance hated this town so much, he didn't want to live there anymore._ _He even begged his mother to find a way for them to move to a different state where he can hopefully start a new life and attend a new school. B_ _ut unfortunately, his mother told him that they can't afford it. Her job wasn't paying her much and they don't have enough savings. To make matters worse, even though he'll be graduating High School, he still has to stay there until he's 21 due to the lack of having real Middle School education when he was sent to private school, thanks to his autism and other stuff._

_This hindered Lance's hope of finding happiness. He even doubted that anyone in this homophobic town would hire a gay kid like him to have a part-time job._

_His self-loathing problems had gotten worse than before, he decided to punish himself._ _For each day he would cut himself on the forearm, and i_ _t wasn't long until both his arms were covered with cuts._ _He was going insane that he had lost so much blood, but he could not stop himself._

 _Lance's mother suspected something was up when her son would still be wearing long sleeves when it was hot outside._ _She knew he was hiding something, and so s_ _he quickly found out he has been cutting himself. She was so_ _worried about his depression ever since the bullying started last year and she thought he needed someone who she can trust to help him. So she had signed him up for therapy sessions ever since._

_Lance wasn't sure about having a therapist at first due to his trust issues, but slowly he was able to find comfort in talking to her._

_Mrs. Kennedy asked him right after she finished writing, "Do you still have the urges to do self-harm such as cutting yourself lately?"._

_Lance scoffed, leaning back on his chair and sarcastically replied, "No, I've been having thoughts that one day I'll see that my own punishments will help me become a much better person rather than a mistake by being known as a town faggot"._

_He crossed his arms he had bandaged to cover the fresh cuts he made last night after he got home from another miserable day in school, and would keep them hidden under his sleeves to make sure no one would see them. Not that they would care much like his mother and his therapist._

_He quickly scratched his arms a little as he can feel the burning itchiness from the cuts._

_"Lance please, there is no need for that kind of fowl language." Mrs. Kennedy scolded him and sighed. "Look, I know how harsh your life has been on you lately-"_

_"Hard?!" Lance cuts her off, his voice was now raising with raw emotion. "How hard do you know about my life? Even though I've shared my pain with you for over a year now I bet you still don't know what it's like to become a target of this community every single damn day, even before I came out of the closet. My shitty childhood was one thing, but being discriminated for something I couldn't control is too much. Hell not even the teachers wanted to help me. I needed them, but they were never there for me! You don't even know what it's like when kids at your school would pretend to be gay just to trick you into thinking they finally have interest in you, let alone embarrass you in front of people in the end. I can't even escape the harassment outside of school, which means I can't go out on my own like I used to as long as this shithole of a town is infested by some fools who are waiting to jump on me 24/7. And the worse part is even after I graduate this year I still can't leave this place. Things are always gonna be the same as long as those people won't leave me alone. Don't even think I'm just overreacting! It feels like the world doesn't want me to be happy at all, that I deserved to be punished until the end of time!"_

_His voice grew tired from yelling as Mrs. Kennedy decided to speak up. "Honey, please calm down. Now I'm sure those people don't know any better-"_

_"That's easy for you to say..." Lance cuts her off once again. "... because you're not me!"_

_Tears started to form in his eyes. Unlike before, he couldn't hold them back anymore. His voice was starting to break. "I'm broken, Mrs. Kennedy. I'm broken beyond repair. I just wanted someone to be there for me... you know like someone who'll hug me when I need it. I'm starting wonder if my Mom really cares about me... she hasn't been talking to me lately and would just sent me here to talk to you instead. I bet she only gives me attention because she's my mother, the same as you did for me because you're my therapist."_

_... Beat._

_Lance didn't really want to say those last parts, but he couldn't hold back the paranoia that wouldn't leave him alone. He doesn't know_ _if his Mom really loved him for who he is, or if she's just saying that because she felt sorry for him and just wanted to get him off her back. He didn't know what to believe anymore. He hated this feeling._

 _Mrs. Kennedy meanwhile had been silent the whole time while listening to his ranting with a sad, sympathetic frown painted on her red lips. It really breaks her heart to see how miserable her patients are, especially when they weren't accepted of being true to themselves. It wasn't fair for poor Lance to live in the same torment everyday. It seemed clear that neither of h_ _is therapy treatments aren't helping him much, as long as there are people with toxic hearts coming after him._

 _It really did a lot of damage on him._ _He was broken._

_Broken beyond repair._

_Being a successful therapist for almost 7 years, Mrs. Kennedy wasn't going to give up on helping this poor boy just because her treatments for him kept on failing._ _She was aware of Lance's paranoia if she really cares about his problems or not... she does._

 _Seeing him in a terrible state, Mrs. Kennedy really wanted him to stay so she could do something than just talking and small stuff._ _That is why she came up with a plan of a new treatment not too long ago. A treatment that she hoped to God that it will work._ _She has another patient who has been with her longer than Lance, and he's been having same experiences as he does._

 _She finally broke the silence that lasted 5 minutes with a heavy sigh, replying to him, "Listen Lance, you can't let your paranoia get to you._ _I'm positive your mother does care about you, and so do I. And you are right about me not knowing the same experiences as you do... But I was aware that the usual treatments aren't working. Therefore I have decided that we should try something else". Mrs. Kennedy got up from her chair. "Please wait here."_

 _Lance raised an eyebrow in confusion as she went out of the room. What plan could she be talking about?_ _He can hear her having a conversation with someone else, but he couldn't hear what they're saying. He just decided to shrug it off and wait for his therapist's return, not that he's hoping that some 'plan' Mrs. Kennedy had brought up is gonna solve his problems. None of them did._

_Mrs. Kennedy soon returns as she was standing at the door frame before she and Lance made eye contact._

_"Okay Lance, I just hope that this will help you this time because I would like to introduce you to someone." Mrs. Kennedy said before she looks out the door to call for someone. "Come on in, Pablo."_

_Lance raised an eyebrow... Who's this Pablo guy she's talking about?_

_At this moment, Lance felt like he was being lifted off the ground and into the universe once a boy steps into the room. He had completely forgotten about everything at first when he was checking him out. The boy seemed to be the same age as Lance, although he does appear to be a bit shorter than him. He also appears to be quite Hispanic no doubt, although he is mixed with white. He had a smooth jawline, a bit chubby, and his curly hair appears to be dark brown as some bangs were hanging in front of his face. Not to mention his eyes were quite enchanting and dark brown as a Hershey's chocolate bar._

_The boy seems to be a bit shy as his eyes were staring down at the floor while he was crossing his arms behind his back like a nervous little school boy, which to Lance's opinion it seemed kinda cute, but also heartbreaking at the same time when he saw a hint of sadness in the boy's dark brown eyes._

_Mrs. Kennedy smiled as she walks up between the two boys before she starts to introduce the boy to Lance. "Lance, this is Pablo. He's another one of my patients and he's been with me for the past two years. Plus, he has the same problems as you do." She then turns to Pablo. "Pablo, meet Lance."_

_Pablo finally made eye contact with Lance and he couldn't help but smile a bit since he thought Lance looked adorable. He extended his hand to offer Lance a handshake. "Hey Lance, it's cool to finally meet you."_

_Lance was completely blown away by hearing the sound of Pablo's voice. It sounded deep, soft, and soothing with a Spanish accent. He took Pablo's hand, replying back to him, "It's cool to meet you too". All the while, he felt his hand was electrified with pleasure._ _It felt so... warm and magical to him. He wondered if_ _Pablo can feel it too._

_"Okay then," Mrs. Kennedy began as she walks over to her desk and takes a seat. "You may be wondering why I brought you two together, correct?"_

_"Yeah." Both Lance and Pablo said at the same time._

_"Since you two have the same problems I thought that this treatment would be an excellent idea by having you guys sent to some place where you guys and be alone for two whole weeks. I know you guys aren't sure about this, but trust me, I asked your parents for their permission and they told me it's up to you guys. I'm not gonna force this on you guys either, but I promise that it'll get better before you know it. So, what do you guys say?"_

_Pablo and Lance were silent for a few seconds as they started to think weather they should go with Mrs. Kennedy's plan of this new treatment or not._

I don't know if this is gonna help me, nothing else did. I may be too far broken, but it's not fair for Pablo be suffering the same pain I went through. I'll try and do whatever it takes to make him happy, he deserves all the happiness he needs. _Lance thought to himself._ _Little did he knew that Pablo was thinking the exact same way for him._

_Both of them will do exactly what it takes to make each other happy... even though they don't know each other much._

_Finally, they had made their decision._

_"Well I think I can get used to spending time away from my home." Pablo said._

_"Yeah, I don't see why not either." Lance added with agreement._

_"Excellent." Mrs. Kennedy clapped her hands with delight. She then realized something else._ _"Oh yeah, I almost forgot... You guys can't bring your phones or any devices with you during two weeks. The place you two will be staying won't have any good internet signal._ _Please don't think of it as punishment, this is only to help you guys by learning to socialize with each other more. Okay?"_

 _Lance frowned at her words. He REALLY wanted to bring his phone with him so that he can entertain himself by watching videos on YouTube or other stuff, but it looks like he'll just have to accept Mrs. Kennedy's orders of forbidding devices. Besides, according to her, they won't be having any signal even if Lance brings his phone with him_ _._

 _Bu_ _t at least he'll be able to spending a lot more time from his own personal hell... with a handsome stranger who he just met today._

_The two teens just nodded at their therapist's words, none of them daring to complain about it. She smiled and begins to write down the schedule with her pen. "Then it's settled. Please be sure you guys will be packing everything you need once you get home, I will be calling your parents to let them know I'll be picking you boys up on Monday morning. You two have a safe evening now."_

_"Okay, thanks..." Lance said before he and Pablo both exited the room._

_Pablo turned to Lance while they were walking and asks him, "Do you think you'll be okay with this, Lance?"_

_Lance flashes him a small comfortable smile and replies to him, "Look Pablo, we may have known each other for like 7 minutes, but I can see the pain in your eyes when you first walk in. I know what it feels like since we both suffer the same shit and I feel like you need someone there for you to cheer you up. I'm not sure if it's gonna be easy, I'll admit, but I promise that I'll be with you whenever you need me. Okay?"_

_In that instant, Pablo felt very touched by what his new friend had told him. He never felt warm feeling in a long time. Lance seemed to very honest when he has said all of_ _this._

_"Thanks Lance... but you don't have to do this. I-I don't want to be much of a burden-"_

_"It's no problem Pablo, trust me." Lance told him. "Please, let me help you."_

_"Well... okay."_

_Both of them continued to exit the building, thinking to themselves; "Maybe this won't be so bad after all"._

**_ END OF CHAPTER _ **

****

_** Author's Note**_ _**:** And this has concludes the prologue of "The Butterfly Effect"! What do you guys think of the detail and emotion I've added? I had to push some of my personal problems into this story to make it more entertaining, and forgive me if this prologue looks cheesy to you guys. _

_Thank you guys for reading the prologue, this story will be updated soon. Stay fresh readers, and have a safe evening._


	2. Chapter 1: A Mother's promise

**Chapter 1:** A Mother's promise.

...

The sun was rising over the southeastern horizon on Alabama, indicating the start of a fresh new day. A new day would always bring new possibilities for the inhabitants of town, and this day is also the beginning of a new chapter for two broken souls was about to begin.

The light from the new Monday morning sun radiated through the window of Lance's bedroom at the end of a dirt path.

The alarm clock had stolen Lance from his slumber. Still drowsy, he shuffled back in forth, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and starts groaning in frustration. "Ugh... Shut up, alarm." He silently mumbled, rolling himself over and slammed his hand on the 'off' button of the alarm to quell out it's annoying blaring noise.

It was 6:00 AM... still, Lance wasn't in a mood to get up and start the day. Everyday would always be the same story for him: Bulled, being yelled at, and told on regular basis to commit suicide at school, making him want to cut himself so very bad. Even though he didn't want to go to school, he had to get himself ready anyways. He had to because his mother can't afford to have him late, and his punishment will be painful if he was absent.

He felt so weak and alone that he doesn't want to face this cruel world.

 _And I don't want to face **him** again! _He bitterly thought about someone who betrayed his friendship and trust, he wished he never met before, someone who made him wish he wasn't gay, someone who started Lance's misery in the first place.

... And that someone is Sequoia Williams.

Lance cringed at that name once he thought about it in his head. As much as he wanted to hate him... he just couldn't stop loving him.

The only one person who ever accepted him for who he was, never ignoring him or calling him nobody, back before their friendship was tarnished. Sequoia would always help Lance whenever he was bullied, and sometimes with his studies. The two would even pull pranks on their classmates and had a great time laughing about it... even though there were consequences in the end. Sequoia would even stood up for Lance when he was in trouble, and sometimes even took the trouble to eat lunch with him.

That was how Lance had noticed something about himself. When he was alone with another male, he would look at their 'inappropriate parts'.

He tried stopping himself many times but his eyes disobeyed him. That's when he discovered he was gay. The brunette had attempted liking girls by having Sequoia hook him up with Becky so he could be a normal teen... but nothing worked. He had even gone so far as looking at porn magazines, but nothing would work. So that's when he gave up and finally admitted being homosexual to himself.

But unfortunately, it costed him everything that makes him happy. Lance can never forget how stupid he felt when he thought that he could have the chance to have someone to love like all 'normal' kids at his school... but reality had punished him for that.

_Class was eventually dismissed, and some of the students left the classroom. Lance wished that he would focus on his classwork rather than gazing at Sequoia almost all period. But who could blame him? He just couldn't help himself. Sequoia's looks, his attitude, and personality made everyone fall head over heels for him._ _And the brunette boy certainly wasn't the first. Girls were drawn to Sequoia like bees swarming around honey._

_There wasn't a single girl who sat next to Sequoia permanently, she would get killed by every other girl in their class. Lance would always feel jealously towards those girls, always watching them gazing over his crush and flirting with him... he felt like that should be him flirting with Sequoia instead. But he just stayed silent, knowing that jealousy isn't gonna solve anything._

_The other students stayed and chatted with their friends while Lance sat silently._ _Today was the day that he_ _decided that he needed to confess his love for Sequoia, whether he liked it or not. He just couldn't hold this feeling forever. This is the reason why he broke up with his ex-girlfriend Becky who Sequoia hook him up with. If she was understanding of his feelings... then would Sequoia think the same?_

_Lance kept thinking, how was he going to confess to Sequoia? Where and how will he tell him?_

_These thoughts kept swarming in his mind only to be wiped away as the man in question approached him._

_"Hey Lance,"_

_Lance looked up to see a tall handsome figure, which was of course Sequoia Williams._

_"Oh, uh... h-hey Sequoia." He blushed slightly and ducked his head._

_Sequoia frowned, "Dude, what's wrong?"_

_"What do you mean?" Lance inquired. He hated the way he would behave even more shy and nervous than before everytime he was around Sequoia... he wish that he would just act like a normal person. People do say that feelings of attraction can make you go crazy._

_Sequoia begins to elaborate. "I mean you haven't hung out with me lately during after school hours, you've been quite all morning which isn't like you at all to be this quite. I'm just concerned about you, that's all."_

_Lance blushed again. Was he that obvious?_ _"Well I... um," He was nervously fidgeting._

_"C'mon Lance, you can tell me what's wrong. We're buddies, and I've been sticking by your side since freshman." Sequoia replied, eyes furrowed in confusion._

_"Can I... talk to you?"_

_"Sure."_

_"In private," Lance added._

_Sequoia nodded and gestured for Lance to get up, the brunette stood and followed Sequoia with his head down. He was attempting to calm his stuttering heart. The walk was short and soon both stood in the most deserted part of the school. Lance glanced around to make sure that the duo were alone. He spotted a couple of girls, but they were no way near close enough to hear the impending conversation._

_"What is that you wanted to talk about?" Sequoia asked._

_Better get it over with now rather than later, is what Lance had thought in his head._

_"Well I... I- " He blushed madly when he thought about he wanted to say, but Sequoia waited patiently. How would he say this? Spin a long story or just spit it right out?_ _"I-I... I love you."_

_Sequoia froze at Lance's words once he finally said it._

_"W-what did you say?" It was not like Sequoia to stutter and Lance glanced up, not knowing what to expect._

_"Y-you were the first to accept me and help me ever since I came back to public school. Whenever I get bullied you were always there to help me, and whenever I'm bored you would always find ways to entertain me. You're the reason why I'm not lonely in this world anymore, not to mention you are smart, talented and wonderful." Lance took a moment to swallow the dust of air, too nervous to look at Sequoia's face before he continued. "You see, I broke up with Becky because I realized what was missing... and it was you. I wake up every day because of you. You're the reason I keep why I'm still here. I love you, Sequoia Williams." He finished strong and waited with baited breath for a reply._

_At first there was silence, and then 2 words that Lance dreaded hearing._

_"Y-you're **GAY?!** " Sequoia's voice began to rise with shock and rage, and each felt like a stab in Lance's heart._

_"I-" Lance was cut off by Sequoia._

_"You gay freak... you're disgusting!"_

_"What?" Lance froze. He had never thought it would turn out this way._ _Usually Sequoia was always understanding and kind. Who was this in front of him?_

_"What the fuck is wrong with you, Lance?! I-I can't believe I was friends with you! You're just some gay freak!" Sequoia growled, his face was contorted with anger._

_"But Sequoia, I love y-"_

_"No you don't! You don't know much about me, Lance! We've been friends for a few years and I thought you would know that I'm straight like everyone. I mean, what makes you THINK that I would be feeling the same way for you?_ _I never thought that I could have some gay faggot crushing over me who would also be my best friend..._ _" Sequoia spat out, his words were filled with disgust and hatred._

_Lance took a deep breath; unsure of what to do. He couldn't believe his own friend who he thought he can trust would turn him down. Sequoia never showed any signs of bitterness towards Lance, and it's scaring him. For the first time in a while, Lance was feeling hurt and helpless on the inside._

_"Sequoia please, just because I'm gay doesn't mean I'm not normal. I'm still the same person with same feelings as you do, and you're supposed to be my friend and support me!" Lance was trying not to cry in front of Sequoia, desperate to make him understand._ _It didn't work, the ire on Sequoia's face still remains._

_"Well I don't think we can be friends as long as you're a fucking homo!"_

_"What?!" Lance exclaimed, shocked at what Sequoia had just said. Sequoia was the only friend Lance got... and now he's just gonna throw away their friendship just because of Lance's sexuality?_

_He can't be serious... that's what Lance wanted to believe. But he would knew later on that he was just kidding himself._

_"You heard me? I can't be seen with a fag like you, especially when I have a reputation." Sequoia shouted with a sneer._

_It was Lance's turn to fire back at him. "Sequoia, this is stupid! My sexual orientation shouldn't ruin our friendship!"_

_"But isn't it hurting you when you should know that we will NEVER be together?" Sequoia asked, crossing his arms. "If you wanted our friendship to remain alive you should've just kept this disgusting secret to yourself."_

_"I can't, Sequoia! Keeping this secret from everyone is tearing me apart, and I was hiding the real me. Besides, I enjoyed being around you."_

_"See? This is why I don't wanna be around you anymore, and it's hurting you!"_

_"Sequoia come on, at least try and understand-" Lance stepped towards Sequoia, only to be cut off by what happened next._

_Without warning, Sequoia backhanded Lance hard across the face. It all happened so fast, Lance didn't even know what hit him, until he found himself laying on the ground, with Sequoia towering over him._

_"STOP LIVING IN A FUCKING FANTASY WORLD, LANCE!" He shouted, "YOU ARE A BOY, AND I AM TOO! BOYS ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO LIKE OTHER BOYS, IT'S WRONG AND FUCKING DISGUSTING! AIN'T NO WAY I'M GONNA BE BURNING IN HELL BECAUSE OF THIS!"_

_Fresh tears started to stream down from Lance's icy blue eyes, he couldn't fight them any longer after what Sequoia just did. "B-but Sequoia-"_

_"Shut up! I don't even want to hear my name coming out of your filthy mouth. Don't come to my house ever again, don't even ask me to help you!"_ _Sequoia grabbed Lance's collar and looked at him with hatred burning in his eyes._ _"And to think that you didn't deserve to have people beating the shit out of you... I guess I was wrong. You just watch Lance, I'm gonna make sure everyone in this damn school know about this." He let go of Lance roughly and stormed off._

_Lance fell to his knees, more tears were rolling down his cheeks. He was completely devastated, his heart shattered into a million pieces. All his hope in life has been destroyed within a second... not to mention things are about to become a living hell than it was before._

_Was it this hard to be loved? He only wanted one person in this world to accept him, but the world hated him. Wasn't the pain of living a terrible childhood enough?_

_Thoughts came swirling into his mind like a tornado in Kansas._

_"Sequoia... why? Why do you hate me? I loved you. No one loved me. You were the first to accept me besides my Mom. And the first to create a wound this deep in my heart. I swear it wasn't me that picked you, it was my heart! But I guess now you have every right to hate me! I'm just a nobody... I just want you to be happy. And if not seeing me makes you happy, then I'll stay away from you. As long as you're happy..."_

Lance felt like he wanted to die so badly, but he had a light in this life: Sequoia.

But that light disappeared...

Lance promised Mrs Kennedy not to self harm. He tried many times but he would stop when he remembered Sequoia. He would stop when he knows why he still had hope in this close-minded world. But now there's no hope when his only light had been extinguished.

Lance wanted to know what was wrong with being gay. Wasn't he still a person? Doesn't he still have feelings? People treated him differently all his life, they treated him like an animal. He wanted to die so badly and end this pain, end this suffering. And he thought that he'll do it soon, soon enough.

Lance tried wiping his tears, but fresh ones replaced the old ones. He tried and tried but it was no use. Who can blame him he was rejected and was called ugly things by his own love? _It hurts. It just fucking hurts. Why won't anyone love me? I just wanna be loved... is that too much to ask? I haven't done anything wrong, have I? Why can't I just die?! Let me burn in hell! Better than this pain!_

Lance then starts burying himself under the bed sheets and tries to return to his much-needed slumber. He hasn't been sleeping much last night when he lost the battle against the urge of cutting himself once again after what happened yesterday when some muscular jock from the school gym had jumped on him while he was walking home from the store.

Of course sleep however didn't return to him, and it didn't help when his mother, Katherine, began knocking on the door. "Lance, it's time to wake up."

"But _moooom_ , can't you just give me just five minutes..." Lance whined with tiredness in his voice.

"No five minutes Lance, you need hurry and get yourself packed up." Katherine told him from the other side of the door. "Mrs. Kennedy will be coming to pick you up in a few minutes, now go take a shower and get dressed."

This confuses Lance as he instantly emerge his head from the blankets. Why is his therapist coming to pick him up this morning?

That's when realization came to Lance when he thought to himself, _Oh that's right, Mrs. Kennedy was supposed to come and pick me up along with Pablo today! Aw dammit, how could I possibly forget about it?!_

With that thought being said, Lance then slowly got out of bed and walked to the bathroom that was located at the other end of the hall. Once he made then entrance, he looked at his reflection in the mirror. All he could focus on was how dull his icy blue eyes were and how faded and messy his dark brown hair was. He hated it, those cuts on his arms, and how pale his skin was. He hated everything about himself, no wonder why Sequoia hated him. He was just an ugly gay freak.

He then decided he needed a hot shower to clean off all the blood and to calm down. He took off his pajamas and and went over to his shower.

In the shower, his cuts stung as water dripped across them. He ignored it and went ahead to wash his body and hair. As soon as he closed his eyes an image of Sequoia Williams popped in his head. He remembered Sequoia's unpleasant words and frowned. _"Shut up! I don't even want to hear my name coming out of your filthy mouth. Don't come to my house ever again, don't even ask me to help you!"_

Lance cringed once again and begins to punch his fist against the tiled wall. "God dammit! Why do I keep remembering you, Sequoia?! WHY ARE YOU ALL I CAN THINK OF?!" He shouted towards no one in particular at the top of his lungs.

His anger began to cease when he heard Katherine knocking on the door, "Lance, what's going on? Is everything okay?!"

 _Damn it!_ Lance cursed to himself for letting his anger and negative thoughts cause his mother to worry for him. He then quickly reply to her in a normal and calm tone, "S-sorry Mom, everything's fine".

\----------------------------------------

After spending 5 minutes of washing himself, Lance stepped out of his shower, took a towel, and wrapped it around his lower region. He then brushed his teeth and exited the bathroom before getting himself dressed into a long sleeved shirt to make sure his fresh new scars were nowhere to be seen. He doesn't want his mother to be even more worried for him because he felt like his problems shouldn't get in the way of her job.

Remembering what his mom had reminded him earlier, Lance grabbed his luggage and started to pack up everything he needed: His clothes, his notebooks, his toothbrush and toothpaste, etc. After he made sure he has all the necessary items, he then looked at his cellphone and sighed... he wanted to take it with him but Mrs Kennedy told him that he can't. _Well at least now I can finally catch a break from school._ He thought, trying to focus on the positive things.

After all, he'll be able to spend more time with a new friend somewhere miles away from town at a certain area for two weeks. Speaking of a new friend was what made Lance start thinking about Pablo.

 _Lance come on, stop living in a fucking dream! If your affections can't work on Sequoia then they won't work on Pablo either. Besides, you're only supposed to make him feel happy again and that's that!_ Lance thought, wiping away those newfound feelings out of his head. He was afraid that he'll just give his hopes up for nothing all over again, especially after those boys at his school would pretend to be gay for him just to dump and embarrass him in the end. He and Pablo just met for only one day last week, and just because Pablo is gay doesn't mean that he'll be falling for him, right?

"Lance, breakfast is ready!" Katherine called for him.

Lance quickly put all his thoughts aside and scurried out of the bedroom with a luggage in tow, then he turned towards the kitchen.

The brunette was treated to the sight of some of his mother's blueberry pancakes with maple syrup poured all over them, along with scrambled eggs and bacon on the plate! Next to the plate was a cup filled to the brim with cranberry juice! Once Katherine spotted her son she greeted him with a warm kiss on a cheek.

"Eat up sweetie, you'll need some nutrition before you have to leave." She told him. He nodded to her without a word and sat down on the table before he began to munch on his breakfast, starting with his scrambled eggs. For all of Lance's life, it was just him and his mother ever since his father was killed in a tragic plane crash on the day before Lance's 7th birthday. Both his parents were the only child back then, and both of Lance's grandparents had sadly passed away, this means that he didn't have any other living relatives, which makes him feel lonely.

"Come on Lance, please smile for me." Katherine said after noticing a frown still lingered on her son's face.

"I'm sorry Mom... I'm trying but I just couldn't help it." Lance sighed, using his fork to cut up his pancakes. "I feel so hopeless. I don't know, maybe I'm not meant to be happy at all because I'm just destined to be a freak no matter what I do, that's what all the kids tell me everyday ever since Sequoia exposed my secret. It seems clear to me that I'm officially the MOST-HATED living creature on this planet earth!"

Katherine was taken aback by those words. With every word that came out of her son's mouth, he felt that it would never be possible to give him any comfort at all.

"Lance!" Katherine spoke in a scolding tone.

This managed to get Lance's attention, and he immediately looked into Katherine's eyes, assuming that his mother was going to punish him for that last sentence he spat out.

However, Katherine quickly brought herself back into her gentle, kind, comforting tone.

"Now I wanna make something perfectly clear, my son. You… are… NOT… a freak," stated Katherine, "No one, and I mean _no one_ , ever calls my son a freak! A teenage male who is different than all others around him, and is still trying to learn how to find the possibility of his life… is **NOT** classified as a freak. Secondly, you are not the most hated living creature on earth, Lance. All the horrible things they say about you is not true, and I know that they don't know any better. You are no disgrace, Lance. You are my strong young man, and a precious gift that was sent to me. I said this to you before and I'll say it again, there's nothing wrong with loving the same gender because that is the desire you were born with. What kind of parent would I be if I disown and throw out my own child just for being who he is? And sadly yes, this world can be filled with people who would think otherwise, but no one can assume what another's capable of, and no one lets horrible insults from others control their lives. I don't want you to live a life controlled by what others say about you, because none of it is true. I know what you're capable of, and they don't. I didn't send you to have therapy help for nothing Lance, because I don't know what I'll do if you committed something worse than just hurting yourself. I want you to remember all that, Lance. Please!"

Lance listened carefully to every one of Katherine's words as her voice was starting to break at the end of her sentence. He was starting to feel guilty now, and he knew his mother could only be right. Katherine always knew her stuff when it came to being a parent towards Lance. How could she possibly be wrong?

Lance knew that if he committed suicide, then his mother would be left alone and heartbroken. He doesn't want that for her, and he should know better.

"I'm so sorry, mom," Lance sighed, "It's just that I've been bullied so many times in the past that I don't know whether they're lying or not."

"Darling, I know how you feel, and I understand why you're feeling so upset, but I've told you this many times before. You can't keep beating yourself up all the time, or else it could effect you later in life," said Katherine.

"I know, mom!" Lance replied, "I just can't find any happiness anywhere, no matter what I do! I'm not sure if Mrs. Kennedy's idea is gonna help. None of my previous sessions with her did!"

"Aww, Lance. I'm sure this time it will!" Katherine gently respond.

"Are you sure?" asked Lance.

"I'm one hundred percent sure, Lance," answered Katherine.

"I don't know if I could feel sure about it, though," Lance sadly reply, still feeling doubtful, "I don't know if I'll ever wanna go back to school again once I come back!"

"What!?" Katherine was shocked, "But you gotta keep going to school, Lance. I know you'll be graduating in a couple of months but you still need to continue your education until you're 21. Besides, your grades had just improved."

"I don't feel wanted at that place anymore, even though I just got my grades up! I don't wanna walk up to that building again!" Lance shook his head.

Katherine sighed, she doesn't know how many tortures her son had to face. She couldn't blame him of being upset over what Sequoia did to him, she was angry at him too for betraying the only friendship Lance ever had in his life. But she decided it was best not to waste her anger on Sequoia and call his parents about it, it could only make things worse. "Darling, you can't just drop out of school just because you don't have any friends, even after Sequoia turned against you."

"I don't care, I'm never going back there, mom! I swear after this plan is all over, I NEVER wanna go anywhere near those mother-fuckers again!" shouted Lance.

"Boy, watch your mouth!" Katherine sternly replied. She then rest her head on the palm of her hand with a sigh for a minute before facing back up towards Lance "Look, you know there's nothing else we can do. So you have to go back sooner or later,"

Lance sensed there being another option, though. "Could you at least get me home-schooled?"

Katherine simply exchanged a sad look with his son. She knew that what she was about to say would probably bring her son into dismay… again. "I wish I could get you educated here at home, but we don't have the money for that. I'd have to pay hundreds of dollars a month just to get you home-schooled,"

"Figures..." Lance sighed, lowering his head back down at his plate where his half eaten pancakes sat.

"Believe me, Lance, I feel just as sad as you do, but I promise there will be brighter days ahead for you," Katherine promised.

After the mother and son finished their breakfast, Mrs Kennedy has arrived just in time to pick Lance up, and Pablo was already with her. Lance grabs his luggage and and kisses his mother on the cheek before they went outside.

 _I just hope Mrs Kennedy's plan goes out well for my son... he's been through enough damage in his life. Plus, he needs another friend who I can hope won't turn him down this time._ Katherine thought as she watches her son heading towards Mrs. Kennedy's car with his luggage. As soon as he got in, she waved to her son farewell before the vehicle drove off.

_** END OF CHAPTER ** _

__

_** Author's Note**_ _**:** Okay, I hope everyone enjoyed the actual first chapter, which actually had turned out a lot better than I expected with only 4,000 words in length, and Sequoia isn't even religious lmao. I'm trying my best not to make it seem so crappy. I refuse to admit that I'm losing my creative touch, I've just been depressed lately after facing more issues with my family is all. _

_I hope to see you guys on the next chapter, which sadly won't be for a while cause of dumb G.E.D-related stuff I have to take every weekday. But luckily, I will FINALLY be doing the math test that will be taking place in two weeks once my parents get paid. I just hope I can survive this, so just keep your fingers crossed for me..._


	3. Chapter 2: Arrival at the Cabin

**Chapter 2:** Arrival at the Cabin.

...

Lance could've chosen to ride on a shotgun of Mrs. Kennedy's van, but no, he chose to sat in the back seat with Pablo, thinking that he wanted someone to talk to and to make him feel comfortable. When he first arrived up close he couldn't help but feel sympathy for the poor Hispanic boy all over again once he saw hurt and sadness written all over his chocolate brown eyes as they were gazing down at what appeared to be a textbook in his hands. He forgotten how much he really wanted to comfort Pablo, and he made a promise that he'll do whatever it takes to make Pablo happy again.

When the vehicle began to move, there was silence. To be honest Lance was pretty nervous to talk to Pablo, not knowing what to say since he's not the best at being a great person around others but is good at it. He decided to give himself a few minutes before he could talk to Pablo while the ride lasts.

Lance gazed out the window, watching the houses and cars flying by. The sky was a bright pinkish-blue color, unlike anything he had ever seen before, especially during an early Monday morning such as today. Even just looking through his therapist's van window, seeing the sky in such an amazing place was a vivid experience for Lance. White, puffy clouds rolled slowly above. Sunlight poured through, illuminating the earth below.

Lance always love seeing things like this... it would remind him of the time when he was only 6 years old when his father would take him out to the park on weekends watch the beautiful sunrise while they were eating glazed doughnuts for breakfast together. He could never forget those wonderful times, just as much as he could never forget his dad.

Mrs. Kennedy drove the boys away from the town, her eyes were focusing on the road as she was heading about 15 miles away into the country area where the cabin her two patients will be staying should be located. As soon as Lance was getting tired of looking at the trees he then turned to Pablo, who was now reading his textbook.

Not wanting to stay silent for so long, Lance decided to break the ice by kindly greeting him, "H-Hey there, Pablo," in a calm, gentle tone.

Pablo turns to him and once he met Lance's ocean blue eyes staring back at him he couldn't help but feel butterflies in his stomach while his cheeks were blushed. He then slowly, but politely greeted Lance back, "Uh... hey,".

When it was Lance's turn to talk he didn't knew what to say. He didn't want to make a fool of himself, but he really wanted to make a conversation. Once he looked down at Pablo's textbook he then said, "Is this supposed to be your textbook? What are you reading about?"

Pablo looked down at his book, then back at him with small confusion until he realized what Lance was referring to. "Oh, well actually... this is my sketch book." Pablo corrected him with a shy smile. "I was just looking at my sketches that I had drew months ago, do you wanna see them?"

"Yeah sure." Lance nodded.

Pablo handed him the sketch book and once Lance gazes at the papers he was ultimately fascinated at the details of those sketch drawings. Words can't even describe how most of them looked so reality-like. Especially sketches of humans, plants, and animals. _Wow, Pablo can do sketches? He must be taking art so well._

Once Lance was done looking at them he turns to Pablo with an amused smile. "Woah dude, those are some really cool sketches,"

"Oh... it's nothing, believe me." Pablo shrugged.

"What do you mean it's nothing. You should become an artist, or maybe you can teach me how to do sketches since I couldn't do art well." Lance said to him, making Pablo chuckle and his cheeks to blush again.

"Well I do have more sketch books, and maybe we could start with simple drawings first. It takes lots of practice to do sketches really well." Pablo replied.

"Okay then, I think that'd be cool." Lance said, smiling for the first time today. Well actually for the first time in a while.

Lance was quite surprised at the feeling of joy that came to him all of the sudden. He just had a conversation with Pablo and it was already making up his day. Maybe he doesn't really need a phone to entertain him after all. He hoped that those two weeks would be worth it. Not that he hoped to be happy again since all the wounds he's been suffering from really took a toll on him, but he just wanted to to spend time with Pablo while making him happy again, just the two of them, with no school, and especially... NO BULLIES!

Especially _Sequoia_...

Pablo meanwhile felt grateful of Lance's positive comments. Usually, most of the time, he was told by most people that sketching was a complete waste of time, and Lance was the first person who hadn't discouraged him of his passion.

Not to mention, Pablo had to admit that it felt nice to have someone who he can talk to without the fear of being judged not only of his sexual orientation, but for his small height, his slight chubbiness, and not to mention his mixed race.

It all started when Pablo's father grew up in a poor, small town in Mexico and there was no public school where he lived. Many children had been helping their parents at work since they were young, and Pablo's father was one of them. Some kids went to school, and even though Pablo's grandparents wanted to get his father an education they can't afford it. They worked from morning to night everyday to save for his school. One day when Pablo's father was 14, he and his family decided to move to the United States. It was tough living in the new atmosphere at first; learning more English that he barely understood, being around a large amount of people, but luckily he was able to get used to it. His parents even helped him get enrolled in a public High School. Then two years later was when he first met Pablo's mother, and he had fallen head-over-heals for her.

Pablo's mother comes from a rich, high-class family who unfortunately have bigoted views against Blacks and Hispanics. Pablo's mom however was different than the rest of her family, and she had been developing warm feelings whenever she's around Pablo's father but thought that it was only a phrase. But then they became friends when she saved Pablo's father from the older kids who were harassing him for being Hispanic. Then after months of hanging out with him behind her parents' back, her feelings got even more stronger and that's when she couldn't ignore them anymore. That was when they started dating after confessing their feelings to one another.

But a year after they started their relationship, things started to take a wrong turn when they started to mess around more than often. Pablo's mother had gotten pregnant by accident, and when her family found out about her secret, they were so very disgusted that they disowned her and kicked her out of the house. Luckily, Pablo's father's family were able to welcome Pablo's mother and they even help and support them.

But Pablo didn't have a chance to know her because when he born, his mother had unfortunately died while giving birth. She was bleeding between her legs, and Pablo's father was devastated. Pablo's mom's family were so angry that they not only blame Pablo's dad for her death, but Pablo as well. To make matters worse on that same day, Pablo's grandparents were both killed by some teenagers in a tragic, alcohol-related car crash. They didn't get a chance to see their grandson. So that was when Pablo was left with only his father.

For half of Pablo's life, it was only him and his father, and even though they're going through difficult times while living in a small house with barely enough food to eat, they were able to enjoy their companies. Though Pablo's father would always have to work late at the convivence store, and Pablo would cry himself to sleep at almost every night ever since he learned that his birth was the cause of his mother's death. It made him felt like he was a mistake who tarnished his parents' lives, but he just didn't want his Dad to know that since he feel like he's been struggling enough. When Pablo was 13, his father had earn a job at a nice restaurant and they were able to move to a bigger city. Things had gotten even better between Pablo and his father because they were able to spend more time with each other, Pablo could even tell him his secrets. He felt so lucky to have a father who's so caring and understanding... not to mention accepting.

Pablo came out to his father when he was 15. He realized that he was gay when his eyes were set on Greg Watts, who was one of the football jocks. Greg was Pablo's first and only best friend since neither of the kids in his new school liked him. He was also the second person who accepted Pablo of his sexual orientation. The others at the school however weren't okay with it. He was the only Hispanic person in a school full of white kids, which unfortunately makes him a target of racial harassment. But Greg, being a great friend he is, would always defend the poor boy.

Pablo admired the way Greg would defend for him. He thought that if Greg accepted him of his sexuality, then maybe he can accept him of his feelings too. But unfortunately the universe decided to have other plans for the poor boy on that fateful day after school. After school when Pablo was finally ready to confess his crush he was confronted by a group of older guys in the locker room, and as usual, they were beating him up and yelling racial and homophobic slurs. Greg was waiting for Pablo until he heard the bullies attacking him. He raced into the locker room to fight back and defend Pablo, but then the next thing they knew would change Pablo's life forever...

One of the bullies from behind Greg had brought out a knife as a defense weapon. When the leader of the gang kicked Greg, it caused him to fall back and his back was instantly impaled. Pablo's heart had dropped upon witnessing his only best friend/crush murdered right in front of him. He could never forget that helpless look on Greg's face as crimson blood was leaking from his mouth. When the ambulance had arrived, it was already too late to save Greg's life. Pablo was very depressed and heartbroken for weeks that he didn't want to do anything he normally enjoys anymore... he wouldn't even talk to his father.

Then a month later, Pablo had arrived home from school he was shocked to see that his father was lying lifelessly on the floor. Pablo couldn't wake him up and he had to call the ambulance. It turns out, Pablo's father had a stroke and he didn't even know it since he thought it was nothing serious.

Pablo couldn't believe this. Both the people whom he cared about in his life have died. It felt like the world was deciding to turn against him by taking away two people who made him so happy.

Now that his dad was no longer alive, Pablo's aunt Sharon, his mother's older sister, was the only relative who is fit to care for her nephew since he's still a minor. But of course Sharon, just like her parents, had great distaste in Pablo and would make his life a living hell, abusing him, blaming him, etc. Pablo didn't do anything to stop her because he felt like he deserved it. Whenever his pain worsens, he would go to the bathroom after checking to make sure Sharon isn't home, grab a razor blade he kept in there and start to cut himself on the arms not too deep. But as a few years went by, things got so much worse.

The most awful thing that Sharon had done to her own nephew since that stormy night... was that she-

"Hey Pablo while you're at it, maybe we can cook together if that's alright with you". Pablo was brought back to reality when he heard Lance's voice say,

"Hmm?" Pablo's dark-brown eyes went wide as he glances at Lance and frowns. "Are you serious, Lance?"

"Why wouldn't I, dude? It's the least I could do to owe you a favor if you're gonna be teaching me how to sketch." Lance said.

"Mmm... s-sure," Pablo respond with nervousness in his voice.

Unbeknownst to Lance, Pablo had refused himself to eat anything ever since the people in his school and Sharon would either tease or criticized him about his chubby weight. It really affected the poor boy so bad that he would begin to stop eating and grew to hate the way his body looks. Pablo would rather starve himself to death, because he figures that eventually he'll die from the lack of nutrition.

"Are you okay, dude?" Lance asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I-I'm not sure... I'm not much good at cooking, that's all." Pablo lied. He does know how to cook, but he just doesn't want Lance to know about his food problems.

"It seems like you two are bonding already," Mrs. Kennedy said, winking at them with a smile from the hanging mirror before she returns her focus back on the road.

Lance grinned from ear to ear, "You could say that." He said before he decided to be quiet and stare out the window. He didn't remember what happened next once he dozed off to his sleep. He hasn't been getting much sleep last night.

Pablo meanwhile quickly got bored of sketching and puts his sketch book back in his backpack. He then starts wondering how long until they can get to their destination already. He wanted to ask Mrs. Kennedy, but doesn't want to annoy her with the same question he asked her a few times. He started to feel the rumble of his hungry belly but he wrapped his arm around it and tries to ignore the fact that he's hungry. Pablo then heard a faint snore from someone beside him he turned to his right and saw that it was only Lance. His body was slumped a bit and his sleeping face was now facing towards the Latino.

For some reason after 7 seconds, Pablo couldn't stop himself from staring at Lance as he was stuck in a trance. Lance looked more like an angel. He thought to himself why people so cold-hearted would want to hurt this sweet, innocent boy for their sick entertainment just because he has interest in his own gender.

 _Woah... I've forgotten how cute he looks the first time I saw him. God, he looks even more cute when he's sleeping,_ He thought whilst watching the brunette sleeping. He examined Lance's delicate pale skin, his dark chocolate brown hair... and his pair of pink lips. Pablo's heart was pounding that he was now having the urge to kiss those beautiful lips.

He then thought to himself, _I wonder if he'll be interested in going out with me._ But then, he started to stop himself from bringing his hopes up. His antisocial tendencies were striking him down once again, and he ultimately decided to put that plan of asking him out aside.

 _Oh, who am I kidding... we barely knew each other. Besides, why would he wanna date a fat guy like me?_ Pablo sighed disappointingly in his thoughts. He doesn't want to force Lance to be his boyfriend even though he's gay. He just wanted to make him happy, even though he felt like it still wouldn't help him.

But then as soon as he turns away to look out the window, he felt something, or _someone_ , fell on top of his shoulder. He looked down to see Lance's head has landed on Pablo's arm by accident in his sleep. Pablo doesn't have the heart to push him off, he felt his heart flutter seeing this adorable boy sleeping on top of his shoulder. Slowly but surely, Pablo wrapped his arm around Lance's back, being careful not to wake him up. He hoped that Lance wouldn't mind if he just cuddles him for a bit.

Pablo's hand had landed on top of Lance's hair as Pablo couldn't help but start to feel it.

 _His hair is so soft..._ Pablo thought, softly brushing his fingers on top of Lance's soft brown hair like it was a soft plushie. A smile was slowly growing on his face.

Pablo decided to rest for a bit while waiting for them to arrive at their destination. He slowly lays his head on top of Lance's and begins to close his eyes, drifting off to dreamland in a matter of minutes.

Mrs. Kennedy meanwhile watched the two boys from the hanging mirror and saw that her two patients were sleeping comfortably together. She couldn't help but smile for returning her eyes back on the road, knowing that her plan was already working.

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_**One hour later** _

Lance and Pablo both felt the vehicle pull up to a halt, waking them up from their short-lived slumber as Lance let out a short, startled snort. He accidentally bumped his head on Pablo's when he was raising his head up from whatever he was landing on in his sleep.

"Oh crap, Pablo! I'm so sorr-" Lance was cut off when he felt Pablo's arm was wrapped around his back, and he turn to look down to see what he was resting on top of, which was Pablo's shoulder. Lance was blushing as he looked up and stared at Pablo's dark brown eyes, Pablo was staring back at Lance's sky blue eyes as his face was too blushing.

 _Were we... were we cuddling when we were sleeping?_ Lance thought.

He and Pablo didn't know what to say in this awkward situation until Mrs. Kennedy's voice had brought them back to the real world.

"Alright boys, we're here,"

Pablo lets go of Lance while the brunette rubs the sleep out of his eyes before looking out the car window, seeing that they're now parked in the woods just about 32 miles away from town. There in the country landscape in front of the trees lies an old but neat-looking wooden cabin, which Lance assumed that's where he and Pablo will definitely be staying at for two weeks.

"It looks... sorta nice," Pablo stated uneasily, staring out the window from Lance's side. He couldn't find any other words to describe it.

"I'm sure you two will be fine. I managed to call the folks and they were able to bring in the furniture. Plus, I even bought groceries and made sure that they would last for two weeks," Mrs. Kennedy turns to them with a reassuring smile. "Now, go get your stuff out of the trunk."

Knowing that they don't need to be told twice, the two boys stepped out from the vehicle as Mrs. Kennedy pressed the one of her car-key buttons to unlock the trunk. Lance opens the trunk and grabs his luggage before Pablo grabs his own. Lance then closes the trunk.

"Now before I go, do you two have any questions?" Mrs. Kennedy asked them.

"No ma'am, I think we're good." Lance answered.

"Same," Pablo agreed.

They then waved at her as she waved back at them, telling them to take good care of themselves and that she'll be back to check on them on Saturday. She then drove off, leaving her two patients behind.

"So..." Lance began, slowly turning towards Pablo. "I guess it's just you and me now,"

"Hmm... yeah," Pablo muttered. "Shall we go in now or are we just gonna stand out here like flag poles here?"

Lance snorted with a small chuckle, "Sure, whatever,"

The cabin was only the beginning of their long and difficult journey.

_** END OF CHAPTER ** _

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_** Author's Note**_ _ **:** __Thank you guys for being so patient once again._ _I was gonna upload this chapter last night, but my lap top charger wasn't working ever since the power outage to the freezing rain a few days ago, and it will take me while to get back on. I had no other choice but to use my cellphone if I wanted to finish this chapter. Besides, another storm will be coming tomorrow morning and my power will be out AGAIN for a very long time!_

_Also, I was once again having depression problems after being shamed by my family. But recently, I had a talk with my Mom and we agreed that I'll be sent back to public High School this August. I've realized that the G.E.D practices are taking to long and they were getting me nowhere. Of course I will be starting summer school to make up for a year that I've lost. I would do anything to achieve my education since it's my only hope to escape my homophobic community._

_Anywho, what do you guys think of Lance and Pablo, and how will they be able to make each other happy again during their two-week 'vacation' from school? I had to bring up Pablo's backstory in this chapter. Please follow, favorite/vote, and leave a review. And I hope to be seeing you guys next time. Please take care now... Oh, and happy belated Valentine's Day! :-)_


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